CMA CGM, one of the largest global shipping groups, is launching a new weekly cargo freight service between the West Coast of the U.S., Central America and South America.
CMA CGM said the service, dubbed Azteca, is one of the most complete on the market between these three strategic zones.
Azteca brings the potential of fast connections with the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Colombia, linking the hubs of Lazaro, Mexico, and Buenaventura, Colombia, along with four other Central American ports with the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland in California.
CMA CGM will operate this service in collaboration with the German shipping company Hamburg Sud.
With the new Azteca service, CMA CGM will enable the agri-food industry in Central and South America to export to North American markets. The region is also a key producer of apparel for U.S. brands and retailers, with many of the countries in the region benefiting from duty-free status thanks to preferential trade pacts like the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Mexico is also part of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The U.S. textile industry also exports goods to many of these countries as part of these FTAs.
Thanks to the existing connections from the hubs of the region, producers in Central America will benefit from competitive transit times with Asia, CMA CGM noted.
Last week, CMA CGM reported consolidated revenues had increased 35.9% in the first quarter to $4.6 billion, as core earnings that rose 5.5% to $252 million.